Picture a 2026 NFL season, with the offseason nearing its end, and it’s the last Thursday before the February 14 Super Bowl LXI night. On that day, the league releases the list of AP award winners, from Defensive Rookie of the Year to the NFL Most Valuable Player.
But before the 2026 season starts, Dallas Cowboys legend Dez Bryant names his Defensive Rookie of the Year, and it’s none other than the Cowboys’ first-round pick of the 2026 NFL Draft- Caleb Downs.
That’s a no-brainer for many Cowboys fans. Bryant shared his pick when the NFL’s official X-handle shared graphics of four rookies in the NFL, asking which one is the reader’s DROY pick. But before you think it would be easy for Downs, let’s dive deep to know what the 37-year streak he needs to break is while winning the DROY this year.
What is the 37-year streak Caleb Downs needs to break to win the 2026 AP DROY award?
Downs has already generated plenty of attention during his first NFL training camp and preseason. His versatility and ability to play around the defensive backfield have made him one of the more intriguing young players on the Cowboys’ defense. However, there is an interesting piece of history standing between Downs and the award.
Rookie safeties have faced a DROY drought for 37 years. The last rookie safety to win the AP NFL DROY award was Eric McMillan of the New York Jets in 1988. That means no rookie safety has won the award in the 37 seasons since McMillan took home the honor.
It is an unusually long drought for a position that has produced several high-profile defensive rookies over the years. Downs will now have a chance to end it if he can produce at the level expected of him in his first NFL season.
Interestingly, Bryant clearly believes he is capable of doing exactly that. And there is a background to it. His collegiate-level stats of 256 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and six interceptions do not clearly define who he is. As Adam Schefter of ESPN also noted, Downs can impact the Dallas defense as a whole.
So the DROY race will ultimately be decided by Downs’ production and how his rookie season compares with the league’s other defensive newcomers. But if Downs wins the award, he would not simply become another Cowboys rookie to receive the honor.
He would also become the first rookie safety in 38 years to win the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Bryant, however, has made his choice crystal clear after the Cowboys’ training camp in Oxnard, California, and the rest of the season will determine whether Downs can make NFL history.
